Chamber of the eternal-10
by Rosannapuppies
Summary: Four friends, all in different houses, think that their new professor is a vampire and after Theo starts dreaming about a dark room, they decided to find the mirror of erised. Turns out, they're not the only ones.


Chapter 15: Christmas

Time passed and nothing exciting had happened since Halloween night. Only small incidents such as Valerie Shouter's bunny disappearing and Theo being chased by a Bludger during Quidditch practice. Jai had made the Gryffindor Team and had played her first game against Hufflepuff, during which, Dasha and Theo had an argument, resulting in them cheering for opposite teams.

Soon, the Christmas holidays began.

Dasha and Jai walked into the Great Hall, laughing about something as they pulled their trunks over to where Theo and Patrick were playing Wizard's Chess. Dasha pulled her blue and silver scarf more tightly around her neck as the girls joined them. "King to F-5," said Patrick. Jai watched as a chess piece, depicting a man wearing a crown and armour, moved forward by one square and stood next to where Theo's bishop stood. Dasha watched, horrified, as the king withdrew his sword and sliced right through the bishop. "That's horrible!" she exclaimed as Theo grimly surveyed the board. "Well, it's Wizard's Chess; plus, they're not real people," he said making a move. "Queen to F-5," he directed, leaning back with a smirk on his face. The grin on Patrick's face slid off as he watched his king get killed by the queen. Theo turned his attention to Dasha as she stood up. "Are you guys going home for Christmas?" he asked. "Aren't you two going?" she asked as Jai put on her gloves. Patrick shook his head. "No, we've decided to stay for this Christmas. It'll be more fun this way," he said casually, sharing a look with Theo. As Dasha shrewdly watched him, he flushed and began to pack the chess set. "Well, have a good holiday you two, and if you find anything interesting, be sure to tell us!" called Jai as they left the Great Hall, closely followed by Wormy and Greywing.

The boys spent the rest of their day relaxing, eating sweets and playing chess.

Patrick sighed as he and Theo made their way to Professor Hagrid's hut the next day. They stopped outside the door, unsure. "Are we really going to do this?" asked Patrick. "All we have to do is ask him about vampires, he should know. If he doesn't, then oh well. Ready?" asked Theo. Patrick nodded and knocked on the heavy door. He heard his knuckles crack, the door was that hard. From inside the hut, the boys could hear a loud barking and a deep voice shouting. "Who's that? During the holidays too!" Theo took a step back as the door was opened by Hagrid, who looked even more intimidating holding his pink umbrella and wearing a flowery apron. "What is it?" he asked gruffly. "We wanted to ask you something, Professor," explained Patrick, not at all daunted by him. Hagrid's face broke into a small smile. "Well, come in, come in, wouldn't want ya to catch a cold, eh?" he said, herding them inside and shutting the door with a loud bang. Theo gulped as a big, grey dog bounded towards them at full speed and sniffed them all over. "That's Fang, he's mine. Had 'im since he were a puppy. Now, what is it you two wanted to ask? Sit down, we'll have a cup of tea," bustled Hagrid, putting a yellow kettle on the stove. The boys timidly sat down. "We wondered if you, perhaps, know anything about vampires, Professor? It's just that, we read something about them but it didn't say anything about recognising one," explained Patrick. Hagrid sighed as he began peeling potatoes. "Dark creatures, vampires are. O' course not all o' them, but it's very rare for one to be good completely. And it's true, you know, about them turning into bats. I had a row with a one in Minsk; 'e tried to hypnotise me (vampires can do that to), but it didn't work. I blasted 'im before it could," chuckled Hagrid. "Do they suck only human blood?" asked Theo, watching a large maggot attempt to crawl out from it's cage. "They suck any blood. But, apparently, I don't actually know, they prefer snake blood to any, other than human blood. And rabbit blood, but the fellers are tough to catch. Oh, the tea's ready, now! Would you like some cakes? They're me speciality," he inquired, jumping up to pour them some tea. Both of them agreed eagerly to the cakes, but when hagrid served them what appeared to be a pile of rocks, the boys decided it would be safer if they left them uneaten. After the tea, the boys thanked Hagrid and left for the castle. Once they were inside, the two boys began discussing what Hagrid had told them. "If vampires like snake blood, that means the figure in the dungeon was...a vampire!" exclaimed Patrick as soon as they had entered. Theo nodded grimly. "I think there's one person who fits the description that Hagrid gave us, don't you, Patrick?" asked Theo, as they made their way to the Homework room. Patrick was about to reply when they were stopped by a voice from behind. "Ah, Mr Lincoln, Mr Guinness. Decided to stay for the holidays, have you?" They turned around and faced Transfigurantes. "Yes Professor, we have," replied Theo cooly. Transfigurantes raised his eyebrow. "Is that so? Interesting; perhaps, you have a reason for staying?" he inquired, savouring each word, with a hint of a cruel smile. Theo shook his head. "None whatsoever, Professor," he said. "Excuse us, but we need to get going," intervened Patrick, leading Theo away and into a secret passageway. "I think we should keep an eye on Professor Transfigurantes; bet you anything he wants to try and get the Mirror of Erised, I just don't know why!" exclaimed Theo angrily. Patrick nodded in agreement. "We've got to find it before him! We've absolutely got to!" The boys agreed to do so, starting the next day. Right now, it was time for dinner. There were very few people left and most of them were relaxing in their Muggle clothes. Theo watched as Professor Flitwick decorated the Christmas tree with golden ornaments. Patrick licked his fingers before taking another turkey slice. "So, what are we going to do to find it?" asked Patrick. "Well, firstly, I think if we split up and one of us goes to the library, while the other asks teachers, that would be a good start," explained Theo. After dinner, they went out into the hallway and confirmed their plans. "Alright then! 'Til tomorrow. Merry Christmas!" called Patrick. Theo grinned. "Yup! Merry Christmas!" he called back as they went off to sleep.

Patrick sighed as he snuggled deeper under his patchwork quilt, pulling it around him. Then a small voice at the back of his head spoke up. "What are you doing? It's Christmas! Get up!" He leaped out of bed and ran out of his dormitory. There, underneath the painting of Helga Hufflepuff, who was quietly snoring, lay his Christmas presents. Suddenly, the common room door opened and in ran Theo, carrying his own presents. "How did you get in?" asked Patrick. "I knew the tune to the song and how to get in. My Mum's grandma was a Hufflepuff," he explained as they sat side by side, opening their presents together and chatting about Theo's dreams. "It's happening every day now, maybe it means something. Like, somethings going to happen soon maybe? What do you think?" asked Theo worriedly, picking up a kaleidoscope he had gotten. Patrick. "It probably does mean that. What is that?" he asked, taking a look through the kaleidoscope. Theo picked up a slip of parchment. "It says here that it 'It helps you see hidden things by enlarging them. But not all hidden things, only those which you truly wish to find' and look, it's got the Hogwarts emblem on it!" he said, examining it closely. Patrick opened a box of Bertie Botts. "Who's it from?" he asked, popping a bright pink one into his mouth. Theo shrugged. "It's probably from Mum and Dad." "What do you mean, probably? Doesn't it say?" asked Patrick, eating another one, this time, bright blue. "No, it doesn't," said Theo standing up and looking around the room through the kaleidoscope. Suddenly he walked forward and put his hand behind the couch. Patrick saw him wave his hand about before withdrawing it and pulling out a pair of gloves. "Look!" cried Theo, grinning as he threw the gloves down on the ground. They sat in silence for a bit, as Theo tested out the kaleidoscope. Then Patrick spoke. "You…you don't suppose we could use it to help us find the Mirror, do you?" he asked slowly, as a smile crept across his face. Theo grinned. "Definitely. Let's start today. Come on! Let's go!" he cried in excitement, pulling Patrick out of the room with him. "Where are we going?" asked Patrick, taking the sweets with him. "To Hagrid's. I'm sure he knows more about this 'Mirror of Erised' than what's written in the books. Plus, he told us to come to his hut for tea," explained Theo, taking a handful of sweets from the box as they ran down the stone steps. Once Hagrid had let them in and the kettle had boiled, Theo began to ask questions. "Hagrid, what is the Mirror of Erised? Is it at Hogwarts?" Hagrid stopped still, halfway between the table and the kettle, with a tray of rock cakes. "Wha-what?" he asked, turning around sharply. "What is the Mirror of Erised?" Theo asked again, hesitantly. Hagrid sighed. "I suppose there's no harm in tellin' you. The Mirror of Erised is a magical mirror that shows your heart's deepest desire, only yours. Rock cake?" he inquired, attempting to change the topic of conversation. The boys politely declined. "Where is the Mirror of Erised now? Is it a' Hogwarts, Hagrid?" persisted Patrick, sipping his tea. "I can' tell ya tha', that's Hogwarts business tha' is," said Hagrid darkly, shaking his head. "It's at Hogwarts, isn't it? Hagrid, if you know, then please tell us. We need to know," wheedled Theo. Patrick nodded enthusiastically. "Aye, we do." "But why? What could you possibly want with it?" frowned Hagrid, finishing his tea in one gulp. Theo looked unsure whether to say the truth or lie, but he needn't have worried; "We think tha' a certain person a' Hogwarts, who's a vampire, tha' wants to steal the Mirror of Erised. We're trying to find it before them. Can you help us, Hagrid?" he explained, pleading with his eyes. "A vamp a' Hogwarts? Trying to steal the Mirror?" exclaimed Hagrid, staring at them. The boys sat in silence, watching him. "Do you have any proof?" he asked thoughtfully. Theo nodded. "I have a dream, every night now, it used to be only once a month, that started at Hogwarts…" then, he proceeded to explain to Hagrid about his dreams. "Perhaps you should go talk to McGonagall about tha'?" suggested Hagrid, watching him in concern. Theo shrugged. "I might. But, what do you think. Does this mean that there's a vampire at Hogwarts?" he asked Hagrid intently. Hagrid sighed. "Maybe...Maybe not. But let me tell you this. Looking for that Mirror is dangerous, because it's guarded by enchantments and even I 'ave put something there-" "Aha! So it is at Hogwarts! You even know where it is! Tell us Hagrid, please," cried out Theo. "No, I can't. McGonagall said so. Anyway, as I was saying; That Mirror is dangerous an' you shouldn't be lookin' for it. If someone's tryin' to steal it, tell McGongall. Don't go looking for it yourselves, okay? Promise me, you two," said Hagrid, watching them with concern etched on his face. Theo stood up and made for the door. "Thanks for the tea Hagrid. See you later!" he said hastily, Patrick getting up, thanked Hagrid and quickly left.

"So what do we know so far about this Mirror?" asked Theo, thinking out loud. "Well, we know that it's at Hogwarts and that it's guarded by enchantments. Now we just have to figure out where it is and then get past it all," summed up Patrick. Theo nodded. "Is there, perhaps, a map of the school?" he asked suddenly. Patrick shrugged. "Probably. I bet Filch has it," he suggested. Theo nodded. "He probably does. Hey, listen up, I've got a plan on how to sneak in and get it from his office..." this was followed by a lot of whispering and planning. "Okay? Let's go!" asked Theo, leading Patrick down to where the office was. Once they were outside the office, Patrick crept forward, holding a glass of water. He opened the door slightly and seeing that Filch was asleep inside, dropped the glass right outside the door. Theo watched as Filch immediately got up. "Oi! You li'l brat! Whaddya think ya doin'? Come back here!" he yelled as Patrick began to walk away. Filch set off after him and soon they were both out of sight. Theo grinned and quickly crept into the office, making sure no one saw him. The office was small and cramped, with things lying everywhere. He could hardly distinguish what was meant to be the desk in all of that junk. The table was a standard one, with four legs and a rectangular surface, which had papers neatly stacked up at one end. Theo moved forward, trying not to break anything. When he was behind the desk, he began to open the drawers. Suddenly, he heard a noise. It was somebody's footsteps, coming closer. He quickly grabbed a long piece of parchment and shutting the drawer, left the office, leaving the door open. He was just in time, too, because as he hid around the corner, Filch entered his office, tired by the chase. Seeing that Patrick wasn't with him, Theo returned to the Hufflepuff common room.

Patrick after being chased by Filch, who had given up five minutes later, decided to return to his common room and await Theo there. He was correct in his prediction and ten minutes later, Theo sped into the common room, clutching a piece of parchment to his chest. "I found something, and I think it might be a map. Here open it," he announced, passing it to Patrick. Patrick grinned as he began to unfold the map. Theo watched as he held the parchment, imagining what might be etched on it. Patrick put the map down with a sigh, no longer grinning. "What's wrong?" asked Theo, alarmed by this new attitude. Patrick pointed. "It's completely blank. It's just a folded up parchment. Look," he explained, handing it over to him. Theo's eyes widened in surprise as he saw it. "But….but that means that we took the wrong parchment. Or maybe it is the map, and it's just enchanted so you have to say certain words for it to reveal itself. Huh? Do you think that sounds likely?" he asked Patrick. Patrick nodded. "It does and I bet Filch has the words in his office. So how about we sneak in tomorrow, using the same plan? Right now, I'm sleepy so I think I'll head off to bed. 'Night," yawned Patrick, walked off to bed. Theo nodded, and taking the parchment with him, left the common room for his own bed


End file.
